Obesity and Back Pain a Life Style Choice.

Sadly one of the most common musculoskeletal symptoms experienced by an estimated 8 out of 10 people, chronic low back pain may be caused by a range of diseases (inc. obesity) and disorders affecting the lumbar spine. Low back pain is often accompanied by sciatica, a disabling pain from an entangled sciatic nerve, which is typically felt in the thighs as well as lower back and buttocks.

Why Exercise is Important Many doctors, physical therapists and other health practitioners recommend exercises for sciatica treatment and prevention. While bed rest or inactivity might be advised for the first day or so, extended activity allows the muscles to weaken and the pain can become worse. Sciatica exercises help to strengthen and stretch the muscles that support the back, alleviating the pressure on the sciatic nerve. Exercises for sciatica can also be beneficial in increasing circulation, which in turn provides oxygen and other nutrients to the discs in the spine, keeping them supple and healthy.

The other way sciatic pain creeps into your life is due to your lifestyle and habits, and that is what we like to call the process. The process can be described as a prolonged onset of symptoms based on your everyday activities...

Unfortunately this can often led to a self destructive circle leading people to become depressed and complacent with their weight which can lead to more weight gain. Obese people may stop going out doors, therefore they receive less exercise, which leads to weight gain, which lead to less exercise and so forth. This low self-esteem has the ability to manifest itself in a way that makes it increasingly difficult for a person to motivate himself or herself in order to make an improvement in their life.

Sciatic pain is simply caused by pressure being placed on the sciatic nerve and there are primarily four things that can create this... you may have one or more of the following:

Learn more about SciaticaGuide.comexercises for sciatica and treatment methods at our free resource: SciaticaGuide.com

If you're reading this article, it's a good bet that you have a radiating pain running down the back of your leg that just won't go away. If what I'm about to tell you sounds familiar, don't worry, help is on the way.

Exercises for sciatica fall under three main categories: strengthening and stabilizing, stretching, and general conditioning. Including sciatica exercises from all three categories works synergistically to decrease the pressure on the sciatic nerve and can reduce the pain significantly. Many of the suggested exercises for sciatica target the muscles supporting the abdomen, back and torso, commonly referred to as the "core" muscles.

I highly suggest trying it out and talking with Mike Dixon RMT. He has had over 20 years of clinical experience and he has been teaching spinal orthopaedics for over a decade. He has also written two books on spinal manipulation.

If you are not sure which one of the four is causing your sciatic pain, I recommend you start with the basics. Most cases of sciatic pain are caused by muscle imbalances so if you begin to work on correcting any muscle imbalances you have, you should start to see improvement right away.

People, who are overweight, or worse obese, face many consequences, which have the ability to become a daily nightmare. For some it is their lifestyle choices, which has led them to become obese, others perhaps have gathered the extra weight through no fault of their own.

In most people, the sciatic nerve runs under the Piriformis (bum) muscle, which moves your thigh side to side. From there, the sciatic nerve descends through the buttocks and the back of the thighs. Behind your knee, smaller nerves branch out from the sciatic nerve and travel down to your feet.

In some obese patients, the spine can become tilted and suffer additional stress. Over time, this can deprive the back of proper support and an unnatural curvature of the spine may develop.

To learn more about muscle imbalances and how they affect your body, please read our article 'Aches, Pains, and Injuries' which you can find on our website here: http://www.losethebackpain.com/achesandpainsarticle.html

Persons self image and their self-esteem depends almost entirely on how other people perceive them, or perhaps how other people perceive them. It is very hard to totally ignore the criticism and not care about the opinions of others. With excess weight, of course, the more you weight the harder it will get. People will stare at you no matter where you go, not to mention that snickering and jokes are a real way of helping to lower your self-esteem.

At least 80% of us will experience some form of Back Pain in our lives and more than 1 in 4 people will become clinically obese in their lifetime, don't let it be you!

Food addiction can be a very difficult thing to overcome; when someone who eats a lot first cuts back the body can have withdrawal symptoms from sugars and fats, often leading to depression. The extra support around for this week or two can make a world of difference.

If you want to deal with your obesity problem you need to motivate yourself. But even then motivation may not be enough, outside support is mandatory. Other people helping you can make the difference between succeeding and failing; these people also often stop you from eating that extra food you should be avoiding.

Anatomy of Sciatica The sciatic nerve is the longest and largest nerve in your body. Five sets of paired nerve roots combine to create it, and it\'s about the diameter of your middle finger. The sciatic nerve starts in your low back, which is called your lumbar spine. The nerve roots are at the L4 and L5 vertebrae (the \'L\' means lumbar, and the numbers indicate the level of the vertebra where it is in your back). The sciatic nerve also travels through your pelvic region (sacrum).

2. Another example is runners and bikers who actually work very hard tend to get sciatica because they fail to keep a strength vs. stretch balance in their workouts. Hence the imbalance creates a greater pull toward external rotation and the result is a tight Piriformis and an irritated sciatic nerve creating pain.

There are a variety of tests used to diagnose this condition. The first step is to go through a history of symptoms and activities with the client. Muscle and neurological tests are then done. An Xray, CT Scan or MRI might be needed depending on the initial findings.

How to Treat Sciatica Pseudo Sciatica is easily treated?????? by massage therapy. Usually in one treatment you will notice a dramatic improvement in your symptoms. Some home care exercises are prescribed and if you follow them you should have no more symptoms.

Prevent Future Episodes Once the pain has significantly subsided, many different types of sciatica exercises can help to further treat and prevent future episodes. Pilates, a program designed by Joseph H. Pilates, targets the core muscles through specific body and breathing exercises. Yoga is another discipline which helps to strengthen and stretch the muscles and spine. Physical therapists often have their patients perform exercises on a big balance ball. Keeping the ball stable works the core muscles that support the spine. Other exercises for sciatica can include swimming, walking and other low impact aerobic movements. Minimizing recurrences of sciatica can be as simple as doing exercises for sciatica on daily basis.

2. Pressure caused by spinal stenosis, which is a decrease in the space between the vertebrae. This is primarily caused by uneven pressure and compression due to muscle imbalances.

To live this overweight and obese life can be difficult, people have to face every new day with the fear of prejudice from others making it hard to live in the world which demands perfection and looks down upon them. It's a sad reality that many people have to face, a reality, which comes at a great personal cost.

What is Sciatica? Sciatica is a medical term used to explain symptoms that develop when the Sciatic nerve is compromised. Pseudo sciatica, which is the most common, occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed by the Piriformis (bum) muscle. True sciatica occurs when one of the sciatic nerve roots is compressed when it exits the spinal column.

Examples of Sciatica Exercises In the most acute phase of sciatica, many practitioners recommend only performing exercises to the point of discomfort. Pushing to the point of pain may only cause more injury and further delay healing. An individual may only be able to do the most basic of exercises for sciatica. Three of the most common exercises recommended for this phase are the pelvic tilt, lying prone, and hugging one or both knees to the chest. The pelvic tilt is performed lying on the back with the knees bent and contracting the abdominal muscles. Lying prone can be as simple as lying on the stomach with a pillow supporting the hips. Once there is more improvement, the head and torso can be lifted as well. The last exercise is done while lying on the back and bending the knee to the chest. All of these exercises for sciatica should be done carefully and only if there is no pain.

How is Sciatica caused? Pseudo Sciatica is caused by a tightening of the Piriformis muscle on the Sciatic nerve. The nerve passes under the Piriformis muscle and in some cases it passes right through the muscle tissue. Exercise, pregnancy, weight gain and posture can create a tight Piriformis muscle.

Sciatic pain comes about either due to a traumatic event, muscle imbalances, or a combination of both. The event scenario is most likely the catalyst for sudden onset of sciatic pain. So what happens' when there is undue stress on the Piriformis muscle that stress causes it to go into spasm and then you have pain due to the Piriformis muscle putting pressure on the sciatic nerve.

People who are overweight carry a high risk of chronic musculoskeletal pain, specifically low back pain. As well as osteoarthritis and other degenerative conditions, a number of other pain and problems in the low back may be aggravated by obesity. Back pain frequently occurs as a result of the excess weight pulling the pelvis forward which strains the lower back. Recent research from the American Obesity Association indicate that women who are obese or who have a large waist size are especially at risk for lower back pain.

"Sciatol really worked for me. After 2 weeks my shooting leg pain is gone and I feel so much better. Thank you!!!" Daniel

Terry O'Brien

www.BackTrouble.co.UK.

In most cases, people go to physical therapy or minimize their physical activity to break the pain ' spasm cycle and in most cases your symptoms subside. However'the event will also set you up for a life time of sciatic pain if the Piriformis muscle does not recover 100% in both strength and flexibility.

Recovery Tip: In severe cases, the sciatic pain can run from the top of the hip to the bottom of the foot. It is very important to recognize that changes and shifting of pain is often times a sign of improvement. Further more as a way of gauging recovery, take note of how far down the leg the pain goes. If the pain goes to the foot one day and then only makes it to the calf and then to the knee and then it can only make it to the hamstring that is a sign of improvement. You should feel good about those noticeable improvements and this should give you encouragement to keep working toward a full remission of pain.

There are several self assessments you can perform to help identify which specific muscle imbalances you have and these are covered in our Lose the Back Pain Video along with step-by-step instructions on what to do to eliminate your imbalances and pain. You can learn more by visiting http://www.losethebackpain.com

Target specific areas Targeting exercises to the root cause of the sciatic episode will help the condition more quickly. Multiple diagnosed conditions can cause sciatica. For instance, the two most common causes affect two different areas of the body. A herniated disc will compress the sciatic nerve in the lower part of the spine, while in piriformis syndrome the nerve becomes irritated by the tightness of a muscle in the hip flexor region. A trained health practitioner can help the sufferer to develop exercises for sciatica which will most effectively treat the condition.

These are just two examples of how muscle imbalances can affect the Piriformis muscle and cause Sciatic pain. You may not be a runner or cyclist but I'll bet you have muscle imbalances that are causing your sciatic pain!

Becoming obese is the easiest part but now you have to lose those pounds and this is the hard part. It will be a struggle at first, but you need to stay strong, the health, social and emotional benefits of the new you will be unbelievable. A life of less food and more exercise sounds scary to a lot of people but it doesn't have to be, if you make sure you have good support it will be easier to achieve this goal. Just think how good you will feel when you look into the mirror and walk down the street with your new body and new confidence.

Having only 2% of his vision left due to a progressive retinal degenerative condition, Mark felt a profession based on touch and not sight would allow him to provide the best service to society. It was an important decision in Mark's life that has been justified many times over since graduating from the West Coast College of Massage Therapy in 1995. Having weakness in one sense allows the brain to provide more power to other senses, for example, touch and intention. This is a great advantage that allows Mark to function at a heightened state of awareness when treating the body. Combining this with his knowledge in human movement patterns makes for a unique and powerful massage therapy experience. For the past 7 years, Mark has also worked on a political level with our Provincial, National and International massage therapy organizations. Mark is joined by his seeing-eye dog Victor. Victor is a 3 year old Labrador/Retriever. Clients love to see the 90 pound bundle of love and joy when they come into the clinic.http://everesttherapeutics.comwww.electrahealthfloor.com

Relationships can be very difficult for obese people to enjoy when they are overweight. Sex can be become awkward with couples becoming self-conscious about their bodies. The extra weight in the bedroom can make performing very difficult and excessive sweating is probably not the sexiest thing either. If they don't already have a partner it can be difficult for obese people to find a lover. The fact that they do not go out to social events as often as they should coupled with their low self esteem often results in many people giving up.

When you have an injury to a muscle, both strength and flexibility are compromised, and if your recovery ends before strength and flexibility return, you will never be 100% and will likely struggle with the problem forever.

Did you go see your primary care physician and get diagnosis of Sciatica only to have them refer you to an orthopedic specialist and than get a diagnosis of Piriformis Syndrome... and than be told to see a Physical Therapist and the PT tells you a little heat, ultra sound, electrical stimulation and some therapeutic exercises and we will have you good as new???

As you can see, there is a trend here... in nearly every case, muscle imbalances are the primary cause of the pressure being placed on the sciatic nerve.

Find out what's causing your sciatic pain and learn exactly which exercises and stretches you should be doing by watching our Lose the Back Pain Video. Order your copy now online at http://www.losethebackpain.com

Sciatica and Piriformis Syndrome are the same condition... it is just that the medical community is starting to call the condition by the muscle (Piriformis) that is involved and getting away from calling it by the name of the nerve that is involved (sciatic) nothing more than semantics.

Let me give you some examples of what I mean: 1. If you sit on the edge of your chair with you legs separated and your feet pointing outward you are keeping your Piriformis muscle in a shortened position and that's how it gets tight and with extended sitting in that position, it gets weak form lack of use. Hence the imbalance.

If this is the path you have been down and you're tired of all the worthless treatments that just don't work, you must read this article! I guarantee you, it will likely be far different than what you have read or heard anywhere else!

Recent studies by (Fishman L., Ardman C. Back Pain: How to Relieve Low Back Pain and Sciatica) explains how obese patients may incur sciatica and low back pain from a herniated or "slipped" disc. This type of back pain in the lumbo-sacral spine occurs when discs and other spinal structures are damaged from having to adjust to the pressure of extra weight on the back. In addition, when excessive weight is pushed into spaces between bones in the low back area, the patient can experience compressed nerves and even piriformis syndrome. (Deep Pain in Your Buttocks)

So how do you get rid of your pain? Will learning one new stretch be enough? It very well may be. However depending on the severity of your condition you may need to change your activities of daily living to include new stretches, new exercises that include the use of the hip rotators like roller-blading, basketball, tennis, etc, and even better, specific corrective exercise specific to your situation... like those covered in our video. As always, learn as much as you can about your condition, so that you can ask the tough questions to your healthcare providers and get the best care possible.

Symptoms of Sciatica Regardless of the type of Sciatica you have the symptoms are the same. These symptoms include but are not limited to pain in the low back, buttocks and down the back of the leg. Numbness and tingling are also common symptoms and they follow the same pathway. Weakness can develop anywhere along this pathway because there is an interruption in the sciatic nerve transmission.

True Sciatica responds extremely will to spinal decompression treatments. This is performed on a special table. The treatment schedule depends on your specific symptoms and cause. What needs to be done with disk bulges/herniations is that the disk material needs to be absorbed back into the disk and this requires taking the pressure off the disk. This is why spinal decompression is so effective. It is essentially traction targeted to your specific condition.

True sciatica is caused from a variety of conditions: disk bulging or herniation, Degenerative Disk Disease (DDD), spinal stenosis and pregnancy. How to test for Sciatica

First, let me tell you why today's traditional treatment methods just flat out miss the boat. The medical community is so conditioned and focused on treating only the symptoms and trying to get in as many patients a day as possible, that many people are misdiagnosed and/or mistreated.

1. Pressure caused by shortening and tightening of the piriformis muscle. This is almost always due to months or years of muscle imbalances in the hip rotator muscles.

One last point, sciaitic pain is not caused by a lack of prescription medications so don't think that taking some anti-inflammatories or muscle relaxants will fix it... it won't! Also, many people are able to eliminate sciatic pain within days just by performing a few exercises and stretches... but not general exercise... the exact corrective exercises and stretches they need to do.

4. Pressure caused by a herniated or bulging disc. A herniation is when a disc protrudes out from between the vertebrae and this can either be caused by an event like a car accident, or, by months or years of uneven pressure due to muscle imbalances. It is also important to note that many people with herniated discs don't even experience pain or symptoms, and many don't know they have the condition.

However, from a technical stand point the process really describes the development of the muscle imbalance in your hip. The Piriformis muscle is responsible for external rotation (moving your leg so your feet point outward). So over time that muscle gets tight from the positions you put your self in and weakens from lack of use.

About the author:Article by Jesse Cannone of http://www.losethebackpain.com. Jesse is a certified personal fitness trainer andpost-rehab specialist and he has helped hundreds of individualsto eliminate their back pain. Visit his site now and be sure tosign up for his free email course on eliminating back pain.

Learn More about Natural Sciatica Back Pain Treatments

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Ask anyone living with sciatic pain what that means and you ll receive different answers. For some it means a few days each year with some mild discomfort, for others it means a life of chronic and often excruciating pain.
For the majority Living With Sciatic Pain often means:
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Does this scenario sound familiar?
You bend over to pick a Kleenex off the floor. Your back locks up. You begin to experience lower back pain radiating into the buttocks and down the leg. You consult with your doctor who orders an MRI. The MRI report identifies a herniated disc.
Bad news?
Maybe but in all likelihood, it s not as bad as you may think.
You may have heard people...